Deliverance
by Amabel
Summary: AU. Bella's been in Forks for four years, and avoided by Edward for most of them. Will the stoic Cullen take notice of her in time to save her, or will his promise of deliverance come too late? E&B, OC.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hello all. This idea has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time now, so I'd thought I'd get it out before I go mad. The sequel to FN should be up... eventually. Promise. ; )

So, this story is an AU... Bella moved back to Forks at the end of eighth grade, and was therefore there before the Cullens. Edward had been in one of her classes when he came, but was able to trasfer out fairly easily. Ryan is Bella's boyfriend. I'm not sure whose POV this will end up being in. I know it's semi-confusing now, but bear with me, and it will get better. Any questions asked will be answered, if I know the answer that is!!

Enjoy, and as always, REVIEW!!!

**Disclaimer:** All recongnizable characters and settings are property of Stephenie Meyer. I'm only playing with them. : ).

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Bella sat with her back to the wall, visibly shaken by Ryan's most recent verbal attack. She shed no tears, but the expression on her face conveyed her pain more clearly then any other display of emotion ever could.

Bella had always been sensitive to shouting, insults, or criticism. It hurt her even more so when all three were combined, and she was forced to deal with them together.

Now she sat, staring into the distance, her eyes confused and solemn. She was obviously unaware of her surroundings, completely lost in her thoughts. Passers-by were wary of disturbing her; her obvious grief made them shy away.

Edward's first thought upon seeing her was that she could rival a vampire with her stillness. He shook his head, annoyed at himself and her and despairing once again that he couldn't hear her thoughts.

In the two years that they had attended the same school, he had nearly grown used to the unusual silence coming from the space she occupied. It rarely presented a problem, as he avoided her presence like the plague more often than not. On those few occasions that he did wish to hear what she was thinking, however, her strange capability irritated him to no end.

Now as he approached her, he pursed his lips. He had no idea how to handle the present situation, and her frozen state was starting to concern him. If she had showed just a hint of alertness, he may have let her be. On the other hand, it would be cruel to let any creature suffer that apparent agony alone.

Bella's thoughts were in turmoil. She knew what she should do, and what she wanted to do; the only problem was that they were two completely different things.

Never one to bring her concerns down on others, she had said nothing of Ryan's increasingly abusive outbursts. Her goal had been to help him, but it was clear that he was beyond her assistance, now more than ever. He hadn't struck her, yet, but she had no doubt that he would if by some chance she made him angry enough. If she wasn't so… infatuated with him, she might have been able to leave him earlier. Now she was experiencing increasing feelings of doom, as though it would be too late if she tried to reach out now.

Edward crouched down in front of her resting-place on the damp sidewalk and attempted to make eye contact. He thought he had succeeded until he realized that, although she was looking straight at him, she wasn't seeing him at all. The feeling of being ignored on top of his gift telling him that there shouldn't be someone in front of him unsettled him. He was uneasy and off-balance. Edward's brow furrowed, and he reached out to touch her arm in an attempt to bring her back to this world.

The shock of his icy skin meeting her warm flesh jarred them both. Bella jumped, a panicked look coming into her eyes. Edward jolted backward, his eyes becoming black as pitch. The sensation of such warmth, combined with the almost irresistible pull of her scent nearly broke down his defenses against the monster inside. He had never been this close to his singer, and never even considered until that moment that touching her would be remotely possible.

When Bella saw who had brushed her arm, the frightened look immediately left her eyes. Edward nearly laughed out loud. The one whose blood attracted him the most, who he had dreamed about committing murder to simply taste, was serene in his company. The irony was comical.

He was not relaxed in the least.

"Are you all right?" Bella asked him, brown eyes distressed, when he didn't give a reason for his summons.

This time, he could not restrain his chuckle. That she should be worried for him was more amusing than words could convey. She stared at him, looking concerned for his mental health now as well.

"Are _you_ alright?" He turned the question on her so he could avoid the inevitable lie.

Her face immediately became shuttered. Her answer was hesitant, and the blush on her cheeks immediately gave away her lie.

"I'm just tired, really. I'll be fine."

It had taken all of Bella's self-control to keep up the façade that she had worked so hard at perfecting. The intensity of his eyes, and the concern she could feel radiating off of him had nearly made her spill out her problems. And to Edward Cullen, nonetheless!

From the time Edward had come to the small town of Forks, he had hated her. She had no idea what she had done to deserve his animosity, but his opinion of her was clear: he couldn't stand her company. He had transferred out of the one class they had together, offering to take it online at home. He avoided her whenever possible and she rarely saw him on the campus outside the lunchroom. Bella hadn't wanted to bother him, so out of respect for his apparent feelings, she avoided him as well. This conversation was literally the first time they had spoken civilly.

It was also the first time that she had seen his eyes up close.

Edward looked frustrated at her answer, as though he knew that she was lying, but couldn't understand why. She wondered idly what his problem was, and why he was concerned for her now after ignoring her for so long.

"I wish you wouldn't lie to me," he said. Bella looked down, blushing once again.

Edward rose from his crouch in front of her. She looked up at him, blinking away the rain that fell in her eyes. His face was irritated, disappointed, and a number of other inexplicable emotions. Bella wondered once again why he had taken such a sudden interest in her.

"If you ever feel like telling me, this is my cell phone number." He held out a square of paper with his name and number written on it in an elegant script. She hesitantly reached up to take it from him, keeping her eyes on his.

"Thanks," she said. His eyes softened.

"Call me. Please." He looked at her for a moment longer before turning and striding though the rain toward his car. Her eyes followed his motions until the drizzle, which was soon becoming a downpour, obscured him from her view. She then committed his number to memory before regretfully shredding the scrap of paper it was written on.

She stood and walked over to the gutter, where she let the shreds fall into the stream of water heading for the storm drain. She remained there, hunched forward, watching until the paper was fully swallowed by the current. It was awhile before she turned away to walk slowly to her next class, contemplating the bronze haired, stranger-turned-friend and his appearance in her life. Could it change anything? Would she let it?

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	2. Chapter 2

Bella managed to avoid Ryan for the remainder of the day, only running into him when school was completely over. Stepping out of the gym, she pulled up her hood, preparing to step out into the drizzle when she saw him. She stopped under the awning to wait. The familiar tingle of anticipation, fear, and adoration trickled down her spine when she saw him approaching, still too far away to make out the expression on his face. She nearly regretted her decision to wait when she saw his narrowed eyes and tightened jaw. Was it still too late to head back to the locker room?

Ryan stopped a mere foot away.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" he asked, not looking at her.

"I have to work, but I get off at five… Did you want to do something?" Bella watched his face carefully for signs of annoyance. It didn't take much to work him up to the point where the only way he could adequately express his anger was through the threat of violence.

He finally looked at her, his intense, piercing blue eyes making her heart jump, though out of apprehension or love, she wasn't sure. It was a moment before he spoke.

"I'll call you later." She nodded, knowing better than to ask for more specific information.

His eyes softened, and he stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her close. She immediately put her arms around his neck and inhaled the scent that she knew so well. She could feel him doing the same to her, his breath warm on her neck. He drew back just slightly to look at her, and rewarded her with a small smile.

"I love you."

"I know."

His smile grew, and he leaned down to kiss her, gently, almost as if trying to make up for the hurt he caused her on a daily basis, intentionally or otherwise. It was those moments that Bella seemed to live for, as few as they were. Their moment of serenity ended too quickly; Ryan was never one to linger. He gave her one last squeeze before heading off to his car, leaving her to wait and wonder when, and if, he would call to arrange something with her. At least she knew how she would be spending her evening.

Work passed quickly, even without the pleasant distraction of Mike's chatter. He had learned that talking to Bella would only cause problems, for himself and her. Ryan was overprotective to the extreme, and any male so much as saying hello was perceived as a threat. And threats were taken care of, with Bella as a witness. At one time, Bella had thought it would be nice not to have to deal with Mike's Golden Retriever tendencies. She knew better now.

The drive home was only interrupted by a quick stop at Thriftway. The Swan's fruit supply needed to be restocked, and dinner ingredients needed to be bought. Her purchases were bagged, and she headed home to await Ryan's call.

Just as Bella was walking in the door, juggling bags of groceries, piles of books, and the spare key, the phone rang. She tossed the key on the counter, the bags beside it, and dropped her books on the floor before running to catch the phone on its fourth and final ring.

"Hello?" she said, breathlessly, her face flushed.

"Is this Bella?" A musical voice on the other end inquired. She thought she could detect the slightest hint of laughter in the question, and was immediately on her guard.

"Yes… Can I help you?" Bella turned to survey the path of destruction she had left in her wake, grimacing.

"It's Edward Cullen. I couldn't help noticing that you tore up my number. I know it must have been accidental, and thought you might want it again." The laughter was gone now, replaced with a mockingly serious tone. Bella scowled. Her choices were incredibly undesirable. She opted for the partial truth.

"No, I don't need it. Thank you for offering, but I'm fine." She emphasized fine, trying to communicate that she didn't need his intrusion in the slightest.

He sighed, frustrated with her stubbornness, and the obvious fact that she was trying to hide something. She wasn't succeeding.

"I sincerely wish that you wouldn't lie to me."

"I'm not. And I really have to go, so if you'll excuse me?"

Edward couldn't quite cover the growl in his voice. "Certainly."

"Bye, Edward."

"Good-bye, Isabella." She had opened her mouth to correct him, but the dial tone was already sounding in her ear. Sighing, she shook her head, and turned to begin cleaning up. She froze when she saw who stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Ryan! What are you doing here?"

Ryan's face expression was black as he began to stalk toward her. Bella backed up as far as she could, stopping only when she ran into the countertop. He continued to move forward, beginning to speak.

"I was going to surprise you, but it looks like you were the one to surprise me. Edward Cullen, huh?"

Bella chanced a smile. "That's what you thought? Ryan, he was calling because he saw me trip and bruise my knee today. He wanted to make sure I remembered to ice it."

His face looked murderous as he strode toward her. His hand whipped back, coming down to strike her cheek.

"Don't lie to me!"

Bella cowered against the counter, hand over her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Ryan looked at her for a second more before walking calmly out of the house, as if nothing had happened.

Bella, though, didn't move for what seemed like an eternity. She dared not even to breathe until she was sure she had her emotions under control. Only then did she draw a shaky breath, remove her hand from her cheek, and start to pick up the bags of groceries now strewn across the floor.

How she wanted to pretend that nothing had ever happened.


End file.
